There is nothing like a close-up mirror to cause a gal in her prime to feel the sting of aging. One glance dispels any fantasy that she looks as young as she feels. Ouch.

Now, the sting of a bee can take the bite out of that unwelcome reality.

A new beauty product just being launched commercially in North America uses bee venom as an alter-native to Botox. The Vancouver Island business launching the product says bee venom can work wonders on those age-defining lines.

But unlike Botox, bee venom cream doesn't paralyze facial muscles.

"It fools the skin into thinking it has been stung, and it releases certain chemicals that tighten the area to combat the sting," explains Catherine Martin, co-owner of Wedderspoon Organics, a Duncan-based organic manuka honey business. In particular, bee venom stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, she says.

"Gwyneth Paltrow and other movie stars [who import it from England for personal use] say they swear by it," she says, adding it's very popular in the U.K. and is a craze among China's new middle class.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has been applying it to her face for about five years. People say she looks good these days and, while marital bliss could be behind it, she claims it's bee venom that is beating back years of smoking and horse riding. Duchess Kate is said to be using it, too, although it's hard to imagine she needs it yet.

Wedderspoon's Martin hails from England and on visits saw this product take the nation by storm. She and her husband Sebastien Martin decided to add the product to their line of manuka honey products.

"We thought the cream itself, the idea and the science behind it, was interesting, and we wanted to develop a more organic - more of a natural emphasis - with our cream because that is what Wedderspoon is all about," she says. "So we have developed our own formulation, and we are really pleased with it."

When applied to the face, the cream feels nourishing and the venom provokes a slight tingling sensation followed by a tightening. It can be used as a mask or a day or night cream.

Vancouver allergist Ross Chang says there is logic to the product.

"It probably works," he says, adding that he hasn't had any experience with it yet. "What the body is trying to do is heal itself against this poison. As a consequence it starts making new tissues."

The trick for the manufacturers, Chang says, is to use enough venom to stimulate the process but not so much that it would cause redness and swelling. A small sampling in the news-room caused no redness or swelling.

Beekeepers have always known about the magical properties of bee stings. Apparently, being stung a zillion times combats arthritis. Some alternative therapists put bees right on a person's arthritic joint and trap a bee under a glass until it stings the joint. Some pianists consume bee venom to counter the arthritis in their hands. Wedderspoon does a swift business with their bee venom honey.

An Internet search reveals that honeybee venom contains at least 18 active substances. These include the peptides melittin and apamin. Melittin causes localized pain and inflammation but also has a moderate anti-bacterial and antifungal effect. More importantly, it is an anti-inflammatory that is being used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism and osteoarthritis.

People with bee allergies are urged not to use this beauty product. Chang warns even non-allergic people can become sensitive to toxins such as bee venom over time so that one day, even after years of use, they have a severe reaction. This also happens with hair dye.

"The risk is if you sensitize them to an insect sting, any time you get stung with the insect you could have an anaphylactic reaction and have to go to the emergency room. We have seen that with arthritis therapy."

Some people say they notice a positive change in their skin after five to seven days using bee venom. Others say it takes weeks or months to make a difference.

Martin says the venom has a cumulative effect. Each time it is applied, more collagen and elastin are produced.

No injections, no paralysis - and no bees harmed. To harvest the venom, beekeepers put a glass lid over their hives, preventing the bees from leaving. Frustrated, the bees sting the glass. Releasing its stinger normally kills a honeybee, but the stinger can't penetrate the glass and remains in the bee. The venom collects on the glass.

"It is so expensive," says Martin. "The going rate for the venom is $250 per gram." One sting contains about 50 micrograms.

Queen of The Hive by Wedder-spoon will retail in health food stores for $77.99, but you can get it online for $72.99 for 50 mL (www.wedder-spoon.ca).

Lively discourse is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy and The Star encourages readers to engage in robust debates about our stories. But, please, avoid personal attacks and keep your comments respectful and relevant. If you encounter abusive comments, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. The Star is Using Facebook Comments. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

CLEVELAND — A 12-year-old boy who had a pellet gun when he was shot by police died as a result of his own actions, and the city of Cleveland isn’t to blame, its lawyers said in response to a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of the child’s family.